“Survey data indicates that recycling is a significant employer in North Carolina supporting approximately 14,000 employees, or 0.35% of North Carolina’s workforce”
“North Carolina has approximately 1.2% of the nation’s recycling jobs”
“In contrast to most other industries, recycling employment has increased over the last 10 years.”
“On average, ‘bottle-bill’ states boast recycling rates two to three times higher than other states”
“For example, one ton of recycled glass displaces 1.18 tons of virgin sand in glass production”
“For example, the EPA has documented that recycling decreases greenhouse gas emissions by lowering the energy requirement in many manufacturing processes relative to using virgin materials.”
“Another environmental benefit of recycling may come in the form of carbon sequestration, by decreasing the demand for virgin wood products and subsequently decreasing the need for deforestation”
“According to the Glass Packaging Institute, every ten percent of recycled glass used to make glass containers saves up to 2-3 percent of the total energy used”
“The research was updated in 2000 and showed a twelve percent growth [since 1996] in the private sector, supporting approximately 12,000 jobs”
“In 1989, North Carolina made a commitment to reduce solid waste generation by enacting the North Carolina Solid Waste Management Act (SWMA), which pledged to ‘promote the reduction, recycling, reuse, or treatment of solid waste … in lieu of disposal of the waste’”
“The NC Division of Waste Management estimates less than 16 years of remaining The NC Division of Waste Management estimates less than 16 years of remaining”
“Out of the 640 local government units in North Carolina, 386 operate recycling programs.”
“A net total of 757 jobs have been created by recycling businesses since the year 2000, and 54% of the businesses forecast creating more positions in the next two years”
“For example, increasing the recycling tonnage by 10,000 tons would create 6.5 FTE positions, whereas increasing the solid waste tonnage by the same amount would only create 0.71 FTE positions
“Recycling employment has grown while employment in many other industries has not.”
Alvarado, Katherine H. Employment Trends In North Carolina. 10 Sep. 2010 <http://www.p2pays.org/ref/34/33911.pdf>.
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